Perfect
by rivalappears
Summary: Stan and Kyle took a trip to California for the summer beaches. They never dreamed this could happen...


"Stan don't swim out so far! It's not safe!" Kyle called after him

"Kye, it's fine. There are a ton of people out here." He said back, swinging his arm around gesturing at the other swimmers. Kyle shook his head and swam over towards him. "See? Fine."

"I guess." Kyle sighed, rolling over on his back to float in the water. A few minutes had passed when suddenly Kyle let his feet drop back into the water. He tensed.

"Did you see something just now?" he asked Stan nervously.

"No."

"I saw something move"

"You're just being paranoid. You know, we _are _in the ocean. It was probably just a fish."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Stan looked at his friend.

"Okay, let's go back."

"…kay."

Stan began the swim back toward shore when an odd current tugged at him. He turned but Kyle had disappeared.

"Kyle?"

The ocean turned red. Stan felt the blood drain from his face. He spun in the water, franticly searching for his best friend. Kyle resurfaced, thrashing about. His attacker was nowhere to be seen. Stan grabbed him around the middle and paddled toward shore. It was a long swim. He hadn't even noticed the lifeguard until he appeared in front of him. Hauling Kyle into the boat Stan saw the damage. The shark had effectively shredded his best friend's thigh. There was a lot of blood. Stan felt sick as he watched the lifeguard tie a makeshift tourniquet around the wound to stem the blood flow.

"Kyle! Kyle, stay with me!" he could see his friend slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Keep him awake as long as possible." The lifeguard shouted to Stan.

Stan nodded. He felt numb. They reached shore and three paramedics stood ready with a stretcher. They hauled Kyle's body out of the boat and raced to the ambulance. Stan climbed in with them and Kyle passed out on the way to the hospital.

"_This can't be happening." _Stan thought as he stopped running. Doctors had wheeled the gurney into surgery and Stan couldn't follow anymore. He collapsed in a chair and waited for a nurse to tell him what room they were putting Kyle in when he got out of surgery. He filled out the hospital's information sheets to the best of his knowledge and handed them back to the woman behind the desk. A nurse picked them up right away and dashed off. Stan sat there, numb and terrified for what felt like an eternity. Finally, a nurse walked briskly up to him.

"Stan Marsh?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"The surgery went very well. And we've set the patient up in room 302. The doctor is that now. See him for more information."

"Th-Thank you." He said as he ran off. He reached the room and there was a doctor standing just inside, making notes on a clipboard. Stan's mouth was dry.

"Is he alright? Is he awake?"

The doctor glanced up. "Relation to patient?" he asked.

"Um…best friend?" Stan replied.

"I'm sorry." The doctor said, stashing the clipboard under his arm and looking at Stan like he was 4 years old. "We're only allowing family members at this time." With that, he walked into the room.

Stan pounded on the heavy door to the hospital room. He was still in his swim trunks, with bare feet from the beach. The building was freezing but he didn't notice.

"YOU HAVE TO LET ME IN!!" He shouted at the doctor inside. "His parents are two states away, I'm his best friend since fucking preschool! I can't let him be alone!" The doctor stepped out and looked at Stan sadly.

"He's lost a lot of blood. We stitched up the wound and he was awake and groggy for just two minutes after surgery. He's slipped into a coma and his vitals are dropping steadily. All we can do is make him as comfortable as possible and hope for the best."

"Coma…." Stan felt weak. A coma? His best friend was in a coma? And he was failing?

"He'll hear me, let me in." Stan said, reaching for the door handle.

"Son, he wouldn't notice a difference if you were there or not. People in his state rarely hear the people around them. They're trapped in a world their mind has created. They need to find their way out."

"And how often does that happen." Stan spat. It wasn't a question. "I can reach him, I can always reach him. Why can't you let me just TRY?!" He was getting angry. This asshole wasn't trying to save Kyle at all. A nurse stepped toward them.

"Excuse me doctor." He moved aside and she walked in. Stan took his chance and darted in after her. He ran to Kyle's side and grabbed his hand.

"Kyle." He said softly. "Kyle can you hear me?"

"…_Stan? Stan where are you? I don't see you."_

"Kyle, if you can hear me make some kind of sign. They're going to call security on me." He laughed humorlessly.

"_I can hear you... I'm in the ocean, I can't see land."_

Kyle's fingers twitched.

"Did you see that?!" Stan asked the doctor. "His fingers moved just there."

"That was more than likely just an involuntary muscle spasm." He told Stan piteously. "Poor boy." He mumbled to the nurse.

"Kyle they don't believe me. I know you hear me."

"Nurse, get him out of here." The doctor sighed. "He's only upsetting himself."

"Sir, please come with me." She said, grabbing his arm gently.

"Kyle they're dragging me out, ya gotta do something to prove you hear me!"

"_Don't leave me."_

The nurse tugged on his arm and Kyle's hand clamped down on Stan's. A small noise escaping his lips. The nurse dropped Stan's arm.

"Doctor look." She said, amazed. Kyle's barely beating heart and just increased its rate. Stan looked from the monitor with tears welling in his eyes back to Kyle.

"Good job, Kye" he whispered, rubbing his thumb over Kyle's knuckles. "Can you leave?" he asked the doctor and nurse rudely. "I'll buzz you if anything changes." The doctor ran a hand through his thinning hair and, grinding his teeth, grudgingly agreed. He and the nurse stepped out.

"Kyle, it's just you and me now. Follow my voice, wherever you are I'll get you home. I'll wait for you, I wont leave." He said, putting his head down.

"_You sound so far away."_

"Please come back."

"_I gotta swim." He started kicking, moving smoothly through the water._

Stan sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was so tired. He had been alone in the room with Kyle for hours now. Nurses occasionally popped in and made notes on their clipboards but for the most part, it was just him, mumbling to Kyle without response.

"…This is all my fault" Stan said to himself. "You didn't want to swim out so deep. It should've been me."

"Don't be stupid. If I hadn't wanted to go I wouldn't have gone with you. You wouldn't have gone out alone."

"Don't leave me."

He could see the beach clearly.

"I-I love you."

He could see a fin.

Beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….

Stan's head shot up and he smashed the red call button on the wall.

"KYLE!"

The nurse burst through the door a few seconds later. Everything was moving in slow motion, two other nurses wheeled in a defibrillator while the nurse that first entered dragged Stan out of the way. He was dimly aware of the tears streaming down his face.

"CLEAR"

He was going to be sick.

"CLEAR"

He dropped to the floor, head in his hands, nails digging into his scalp. He couldn't think.

"CLEAR"

Kyle was gone.

"CLEAR"

Everything felt so surreal, like he was watching this whole event play out on a TV program. He saw himself rocking back and forth. Saw himself turning green.

"CLEAR"

beep, beep, beep, beep….

He crashed back to Earth. Pale, sweaty, and sick to his stomach. He shot to his feet and almost passed out. Moving quickly back toward Kyle's bedside he saw his eyelids flutter and open.

"..Stan?" he asked quietly.

"I'm here Kye!" Stan choked.

"I hit 'im in the gills." Kyle smiled weakly.

"HA!" Stan laughed.

"Sir, we have to monitor him quietly. Why don't you get something to eat. It's 2 AM, you've been here for hours.

Stan wasn't aware of his hunger until the nurse brought it up.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." He felt so elated. Everything was going to be fine. He was grinning like a damn fool. "I'll be back later, Kyle."

"Right." Kyle smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Stan felt his heart stop as the nurse shepherded him out of the room. He went down to the cafeteria and collapsed in a chair, he was exhausted. The emotional strain of the day was more than anyone needed in a lifetime, but everything would be fine. Everything would be perfect. He fell asleep at the table with a smile on his lips.


End file.
